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news
Middlesbrough outdoor velodrome aerial plan (source British Cycling)Updated: Middlesbrough's £1m outdoor velodrome secure as Sports England withdraws objection
Plans for a £1 million outdoor velodrome in Middlesbrough which had been thrown into doubt after Sport England raised an objection to the project, now seem secure after the body retracted its opposition.
Middlesbrough Council’s planning committee gave its unanimous backing to the facility last week, but Sport England initially opposed it on the grounds of “loss of playing pitches,” reports Gazzettelive.co.uk.
Now, however, the website reports that the body, which allocates funds and gives strategic guidance for sporting activity at national level, has withdrawn its objection following a request by the council's planning officer, Ernie Vickers. British Cycling had already given its “full support” to the track being built.
Mr Vickers told the committee that the pitches, formerly used by Teesside Tertiary College, had not hosted sports for two years after Middlesbrough College, which it had merged with in 2002, brought its facilities together on a single site.
Had Sport England not withdrawn its objection, the issue of whether or not to grant permission for the velodrome would have rested with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles.
Referring to the committee’s decision to approve the scheme, Councillor Brenda Thompson, who sits as an independent, said: “This will bring elite cyclists into Middlesbrough. I think it’s fantastic.”
The athletics track and temporary changing facilities at the Middlesbrough Sports Village are due to be completed at the end of this month, with the site’s permanent facilities opening in April next year.
When the proposed track was announced earlier this year, British Cycling chief executive Ian Drake said “the new outdoor velodrome will give the sport of cycling a great lift in the north east, and provide the region with a great opportunity to develop a long-held passion for the sport even further.”
Mayor of Midlesbrough, Ray Mallon, added: “It is essential that the Middlesbrough Sports Village has the sort of facilities we know people want, and the inclusion of a velodrome has been high on the agenda from day one.
“The aim from the outset has been to create an iconic sports destination of regional significance, and the velodrome will help to ensure it is a centre that attracts people from Middlesbrough and beyond for many years to come.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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14 comments
An indoor velodrome would be more useful. I'd love to train on an indoor track all winter. Nearest one to me is Manchester though, too far.
I'm actually from Middlesbrough, so the fact it was rejected on 'lack of playing pitches' was a bit of a hilarious one. There's quite a few pitches, both privately owned and publicly owned, that can be used in Middlesbrough and for the most part they stand empty quite a large amount of the time. I actually live near two, and the only time they ever seem to see any use is on a Sunday for a kids league, and a Thursday for a 5-a-side league.
“This will bring elite cyclists into Middlesbrough. I think it’s fantastic.”
It's not like planting flowers in your garden to attract butterflies you know. Once you've got the thing you have to actually put some effort in to create some 'elite cyclists'.
If kiddie cycling becomes really popular I guarantee it will end up attracting "bad" sports parents. All sports do.
Anyone who is a head teacher or school governor who has had the misfortune to have to deal with Sports England when trying to change an under used playing field into something useful will know what a pernicious, bureaucratic, frustrating and petty organisation they are.
They make UCI commissaires look like Cheech and Chong.
Oh no, not Eric Pickles! Not exactly rabidly pro-cycling is he?
Yeah the ironey of Eric Pickles being responsible for any kind of sporting activity is moronic. Perhaps he'll veto it on the ground of building a pie factory in its place.
That being said, I'm sure he'd be in favour of anything that gets cyclist off the roads which belong to the motorists in his eyes.
The proposed new velodrome is also replacing an old velodrome that is not fit to be used at the moment. Sport England seem happy to let that be demolished for housing, but not replaced. The new facility will be an excellent community sports hub. It almost beggars belief that Sport England are objecting.
I agree with the objection. Football pitches are in dramatically short supply in this country, and football in general is in serious danger of becoming a minority sport practiced only by the most dedicated in a few dark corners of England.
Same here. You can;t claim they are unused when the public were not permitted to enter the colege grunds. Open the fields up to all field sports care for the surface and the car parking nearby and local sports clubs will use them in abundance whether it be hockey, football or Rugby.
Very funny - haha!
Actually there is a real problem with a lack of decent football training for kids in the UK. A lot of people who used to coach have dropped out of it due to petty bureaucracy but also as a result of the actions of some parents. My sons play in teams and the behaviour of some parents, and coaches, at matches can be appalling. How kids are supposed to develop a good sporting attitude when their coach or parents are swearing and shouting various forms of abuse is beyond me. Sometimes parents can assault referees or coaches from other teams and there is now a real shortage of referees, largely as a result of this.
I don't want to come across as 'anti-football', but I would have thought that the issue you are raising here - and it is absolutely a legitimate point- is a cast iron argument for providing support for the development of other sports, like for example track cycling.
We are lucky enough to live close to Herne Hill, where my kids ride on a Saturday. The contrast between that experience and having to put them in an environment where they have to witness the kind of behaviour you describe could not be more marked.
To be clear, they're blocking a sporting facility (cycling) because of an underused sporting facility (football), yes?